Heather was appointed Open Heart Kitchen’s Executive Director in January, 2017. Prior to this role, she served as the Executive Director of Monterey Zoological Society, and co-founded Elephants of Africa Rescue Society where she also served as CFO. She brings over 18 years of experience in Nonprofit Management and utilizes her experience to drive organizational growth without compromising program quality.
Felicia is a Certified Dietary Manager with over 10 years of experience operating various kitchens in hospitals, nursing homes, and the county jail. Felicia runs the day-to-day operations and management of food services. Felicia loves the rodeo, fishing, and Pokeno! She joined the OHK family in March, 2020.
Denise oversees fundraising and donor relations for Open Heart Kitchen. Denise has experience in fundraising, marketing and event planning for various nonprofits including The Health Trust, Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund and Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Most recently, she was the development officer at the Bankhead Theater where she was responsible for sponsorships, grants, and major gifts. She currently volunteers for Mighty4 Arts Foundation and serves on the board of Tri-Valley Haven.
Taylor joined the team in October, 2017. She assists with outreach, accounting, fundraising, marketing, and works heavily with our Senior Meal Program and Operations Team. She enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time outdoors with her boyfriend and their dog.
Shawnda joined Open Heart Kitchen in November of 2010 as a Site Supervisor before assuming her current role as Volunteer Coordinator. Whether you are a guest or a volunteer, Bost has a passion for helping people find their “fit” in the Open Heart Kitchen family. Under her leadership, Open Heart Kitchen’s volunteer base has grown to one of the largest volunteer networks in the Tri-Valley. Prior to joining Open Heart Kitchen, Bost served more than 15 years in customer service and logistics.
Christi has been with Open Heart Kitchen since 2015. Christi worked in customer support before becoming a stay at home mom to her 3 children. Through her position at Open Heart Kitchen she encourages her own children to volunteer in the kitchens and learn the importance of giving back to the community. When she's not giving back to the community she can be found gardening, or in her kitchen baking up a delicious new confection!
Becki grew up in England and lived in Australia for a number of years. Lucky for us, she moved to California in 2016 and started volunteering in our kitchen and eventually joined our team as a Site Supervisor, and she is now a Program Coordinator for our Volunteer Services Department. In her spare time Becki loves to travel, as well as volunteer at the Valley Humane Society where she follows her deep passion for helping animals.
Chef Liz built a career in Silicon Valley, but always held a passion for cooking, baking, and helping people. She enrolled in the culinary program at Diablo Valley College, which led her to begin volunteering regularly at Open Heart Kitchen in 2017. By the time she joined our team in 2018, she already knew our kitchen like the back of her hand! Chef Liz now leads our Production Kitchen team in the production of more than 800 free and nutritious meals daily during the COVID-19 situation.
Chef Jorge joined our team in 2020, bringing his 20 years of experience in commercial kitchens. Chef Jorge's passion for cooking was inspired by helping his mom in the kitchen when he was growing up. He loves to prepare meals for people to enjoy, and he definitely gets to do that as he helps lead the OHK team in the production of more than 800 meals daily! When Jorge's not making delicious meals for our neighbors in need, he enjoys basketball and mountain biking.
Alanie joined our team at the Robert Livermore Community Center in 2020, assisting with our Senior and Hot Meal Program services.
Chef Kristen joined our Production Kitchen team in 2020. During the COVID-19 situation our Production Kitchen team is producing more than 800 free and nutritious meals every day!
Todd is the driving force behind our Bag Lunch Program, managing volunteers in the creation and distribution of more than 2,500 bags weekly. In addition to that, he delivers meals to our Senior & Hot Meal sites, and picks up large donations. Before joining the OHK team, Todd was a stay at home dad and worked with middle school-aged kids at Crosswinds Church in Livermore. He has been married for 25 years to his wife Synthia, with whom he has a daughter, 2 dogs and a rescue cat.
Zach has a passion for cooking and feels at home in busy commercial kitchens. He's a big fan of spice, and when he's not bringing the heat in the kitchen he's bringing the heat on the basketball courts! Zach joined our Production Kitchen team in 2020. During the COVID-19 situation our Production Kitchen team is producing more than 800 free and nutritious meals every day!
Gary has been with Open Heart Kitchen since 2003, and prior to that he was a member of our Board of Directors. Gary oversees meal service at our Asbury Church Hot Meal Site, collects large donations, and delivers meals to homeless clients who are unable to get to one of OHK's meal sites.
Lindsay joined our team at the Pleasanton Senior Center in 2020, assisting with our Senior Meal Program service. Lindsay is passionate about learning (she has a History degree!), nature, animals, practicing yoga, and overall health and wellness including experimenting with fun new recipes! Lindsay is a mother to her young son, and a "cat mom" to one kitty.
Sharon has been with Open Heart Kitchen since 2014 and oversees the Senior Meal service at our Livermore Community Center site, as well as the Hot Meal service at our Asbury and Trinity sites.
Heather is a third generation (and raising the fourth!) Livermore resident who has a long history of volunteering in the community. She has recently made the career change after 30 years in the restaurant industry to join Open Heart Kitchen to pursue her passion for giving back to our community. In her time off she enjoys finding unique travel adventures within the Bay Area and cooking for Cub Scout camps every summer.
From a young age Najah always felt a strong pull to all things humanitarian. Always interested in different cultures, nature, animals, food and music. Coming from a background of artists, teachers and caregivers, it was no surprise to loved ones when Najah began performing poetry for assemblies and joined the choir. She experienced grand opportunities growing up from participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters, to dancing with the Ladzekpos. She even received accolades on her art piece from Yo-Yo Ma himself. Najah now focuses on her passion for horticulture as well as helping others, feeling that nurturing and helping others is the best way to live.. She joined our Production Kitchen team in 2020.
Joohwa joined our team in 2020 at the Dublin Senior center. She lives in Pleasanton with her husband and two children. She enjoys learning by taking classes at Las Positas college and helping ESL students as a student tutor.
Charlie joined our Production Kitchen team in 2020. During the COVID-19 situation our Production Kitchen team is producing more than 800 free and nutritious meals every day!
Evelyn moved to California from Chicago in 2005, and joined the Open Heart Kitchen family that same year. The things that Evelyn enjoys most about working for Open Heart Kitchen is the sense of fullfillment and purpose that it gives her, as well as working with Open Heart's volunteers and staff.
Jim joined our team in 2020. He serves our unhoused community members at locations throughout the Tri-Valley.
Linda joined Open Heart Kitchen as a Site Supervisor in July, 2017. Volunteering at the Pleasanton Senior Center and working with her fellow volunteers sparked her interest in joining our team. Prior to coming to OHK, Linda worked in tech in Silicon Valley, but realized her real passion was working with food and interacting with people. Linda makes every diner that walks into our dining room feel special, and she has a gift for telling our diners' whole stories in a way that is both empowering and uplifting.
Loree supervises our Senior Meal Service at the Dublin Senior Center by day, and delivers meals to our unhoused community members in the afternoons. This means that each day she is serving clients in all 3 Tri-Valley cities!
Smruti grew up in India and has been living in the United States for the past thirty years. She has an educational background in nutrition and dietetics and enjoys cooking and trying out various ethnic foods. She loves to travel, garden, and her new found interest of quilting. Smruti joined the OHK team in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic to assist with the Senior Meal Program at the Dublin Senior Center. She feels happy to give her time and use her education to serve the community.
Michelle was a dedicated weekly volunteer at our Dublin Senior Center location for over a year, before officially joining our team as the Dublin Senior Center Site Supervisor. She assumed the position just weeks before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and dove right into the deep end working tirelessly to ensure that our senior clients continue to receive safe and healthy meals.
Gustav joined our team at the Robert Livermore Community Center in 2020, assisting with both our Senior and Hot Meal Program services.
Steve is a proud Dublin resident who spent nearly 30 years of commuting into Silicon Valley where he worked for the San Jose Mercury News as a reporter, deputy managing editor and editorial page editor. Instead of retirement, Steve yearned for “refirement": something less career-driven and more service oriented.This passion lead him to Open Heart Kitchen.